The first rule in love and war
by Bella
Summary: „How do you beat Superman?" - As much as I love Tony's reaction when he realises that Tony Millionaire is nothing but a plot of Jeannie to make him jealous and pay more attention to her, I always wonder what his full out frontal attack would have been like...
**The first rule in love or war: a full out frontal attack**

 **First of all:** my heartfelt thanks to the reviewers who took their time to leave a small comment to let me know they enjoy my stories. Oh, another thing: English is not my native tongue so please forgive any mistakes I make.

 **Disclaimer:** Sidney Sheldon Productions hold all the rights to _I dream of Jeannie_ , at least to my knowledge.

 **Summary:** „How do you beat Superman?" - As much as I love Tony's reaction when he realises that Tony Millionaire is nothing but a plot of Jeannie to make him jealous and pay more attention to her, I always wonder what his full out frontal attack would have been like...

So we jump in right after she blinked herself into the evening gown and just before she blinked up Tony Millionaire. And of course this Tony Nelson has got his priorities straight. Jeannie first, paper later!

* * *

Quick as lightning Jeannie dropped her arms and tried to compose herself when she heard the front door opening and saw the flowers in her master's arm even before she saw the rest of the man man stepping inside.

"Oh, you're home early, master. I wasn't expecting you yet."

Tony swallowed his burning jealousy and tried to act according to his carefully thought out scheme to win Jeannie back.

"I can see that, Jeannie. You look very lovely this evening. Here, I brought you some flowers."

Smiling she gracefully accepted the bunch and cradled it gently against her bosom. They were beautiful and smelled heavenly.

"Let me put them into a vase." She blinked and held a vase in her hand and in it there were the flowers already perfectly arranged. She turned to walk over the small bar and placed it right next to her box of candies. An expensive brand of truffles Tony observed when he had followed her quickly. A gift from her super-rich fiancé, he snarled in his mind and if he could have, he would have blinked to make _the other_ vanish and with him every memory of _him_ in Jeannie's mind and every trace that _the other_ ever existed. Stepping even closer he laid his hands on her upper arms from behind.

"I know you're expecting your.. _.fiancé_ "he did everything in his power not to spit the hated word out "... but I thought... how about you let me take you out for one last time? I mean, you're going to get married in three days and you said he's rather the jealous type and we can't know, if we'll ever see each other again and..." he tightened his grip slightly "... Jeannie, we've been together for the last 18 months. It can't end just like that." He whispered fiercely into her hair. She didn't react one way or the other. Tony fought down his rising fear and played a card he'd rather not have, but if it was already like this between them, she left him no choice.

"I'm still your master, Jeannie. And I like you grant me this small favour. Please give him a ring and cancel your date. You will have the rest of his life with him and I...please?" He let his voice slightly crack.

"Of course, master. If that's what you wish, I'll go out with you tonight." She freed herself and walked over to the phone and pretended to dial. She struggled to keep her wide, happy smile off her face. So her master had finally come to his senses and decided to fight for her! Oh, she would make him work for it, but of course she would give in eventually when he had learnt his lesson not to take her for granted.

Anxiously Tony listened to the one-sided conversation and felt stabbed with a knife, when she called _the other_ her precious pet. Would _the other_ let her go? If he was in _his_ shoes, Tony wasn't sure he would. A bit surprised he realised he was also rather the jealous type when it came to Jeannie. He schooled his expression to polite attention when she turned around.

"I'm free to go, master. Tony really is most understanding and as long it is for the last time..."

Tony swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and felt himself being blinked into his black tuxedo. Jeannie stepped up to him and fiddled with the already perfectly adjusted bow-tie and let her hands come to a rest on his lapels.

"Let's go." He rasped, tempted to forget his battle plan and pull her into his arms and kiss her like he had been wanting to for a long time now.

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Jeannie felt like melting as she stepped marginally closer into his embrace on the dance-floor. So far her little ruse worked like a charm. Her master put out all the stops for her and was showing her a side of him she had never been privileged to witness before – Tony Nelson in seduction mode. The man was attentive, didn't even blink when she ordered a hideously expensive dish, he was witty and charming and had her giggling and smiling almost constantly, in short he made her feel like she was the only woman on Earth for him. It was heady stuff and she needed to fight the surging jealousy when she thought of how many women before her and even some during her stay with her master had received this level of attention from him.

Tony felt like never letting her go. How stupid he had been all this time, fighting his attraction and his love for her, always going two steps forward and then one step back, if things got too serious for his comfort between them. Time – that was what he thought he had in abundance with her. He had thought he and Jeannie would be together for the rest of their lives. But fate had taught him a most cruel and hard lesson and if his plan didn't work out tonight, she would walk away from him. No, worse, he would give her away, because that was what she wanted. He pulled her even closer and his resolve hardened. His plan mustn't fail!

"How about a ride along the beach? Would you like that?" He softly whispered into her ear, making his lips brush so gently against her ear shell that it could have been an accident. Jeannie felt a shiver running down her spine.

"That would be lovely, master." she whispered back against his neck.

"Then come." He breathed and brushed his lips along her cheek when he pulled back.

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The astronaut slowed down the car and brought it to a halt on a darker patch between the glaring of two lamp-posts. He killed the engine and plunged them into silence. Taking a deep breath he turned towards her and took one of her small hands into his.

"Don't we get out?" Jeannie asked with her heart in her throat. The last time her master had simply parked the car without getting out was when he had had amnesia. He had laid his arm behind her on the top of her seat and had encouraged her to lean back. They had gazed at each other for ages while the radio had played soft, romantic melodies and eventually he had leant over and kissed her cheek reverently. And she had wished with all her might that she could really be what he wanted – a regular girl.

But this time he didn't reach out to turn on the radio.

"Master?" She addressed him for a second time and pulled him out of his thoughts. She got slightly concerned when he kept silent and only looked at her.

"It's just... I just want to burn you into my memory as you are tonight. I want to remember you not as my genie, but my Jeannie. A beautiful, warm, gentle, sensitive woman." He started to rub his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Oh, master" she breathed. Never before had he looked at her as if she was the most precious thing in his life.

"I..." He took a deep breath and expelled it forcefully as if he wanted to unburden himself.

"Jeannie, next Saturday I'm going to do one of the hardest things, no, probably the hardest thing in my life. I will walk with you up to the altar and give you away, not because I want to. But I will do it, because you asked me to and I want you to be happy. And if it's with another man... You deserve to be happy, Jeannie. And so I'm going to smile for you and kiss your cheek and... step aside. I... I just want...please say..." His breath came fast now and he squeezed her hand to the point of pain.

"I always thought you and I..." he broke off again and Jeannie thought she saw him blinking fiercely in the soft, dim light. He tore himself away from her and hastened to get out of the car and walked a few steps towards the beach. Tony gripped the high fence that separated the beach from the road, until his fists were white-knuckled.

Wide-eyed Jeannie saw his shoulders hunch over and slowly she got out. What had she done?! What pain did she cause the proud man to bring him to his knees! She never meant... Gingerly she stepped up to him to lay her head between his shoulder blades. He stiffened when he felt her arms come up around him.

"Jeannie..." his voice quivered. "...please, would you blink home? I think I'd like to be alone for a while."

She pressed closer to him. "I..." she started, but whatever she may have wanted to say this moment was lost forever when he twirled in her arms. With a painful groan that was like a cry from a wounded animal's deepest soul he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her hard and demanding. He felt her opening up under his lips and he plunged in, pressing in on her, engulfing her, overwhelming her and turning them so that she was trapped between him and the fence. She felt like drowning in him and her arms moved up to his neck and her hands buried themselves in his short hair. And just when she was about to loose herself completely in his kiss, he tore away from her.

"Oh god, Jeannie. I know I have no right to ask, but please don't go. Don't leave me." He kissed her ardently on her neck, her shoulders, while pleading with her. "You can't leave me. I beg of you... Say you don't go... Jeannie, I know you love me, too... He can't know you like I do... He **can't** love you like I do. Please, Jeannie, please. Stay with me."

He broke off and searched her face to gauge his impact on her. Had it been too much, too little or just right? He knew, if she left now, he wouldn't try again, because it meant she truly loved _the other_ more than him and he wouldn't stand in her way.

Jeannie felt her heart break for him. Never would she have thought him capable of such an outpour of emotion. And of course she knew he loved her. He had to considering he always forgave her for all the trouble she inadvertently caused. It simply happened because she loved him so much that she wanted to give him the world like he had done when he had freed her on their beach in the Pacific.

"If..." she needed to clear her throat. "If you really want me to stay, then of course I will." She looked up and let her love for him shine brightly and unmistakably through her eyes. She held his face in her hand and he leant into it. "I love you, master. As long as you want and need me, I'll be there for you. Always."

"Always." He vowed in return and closed his eyes in relief, when he felt her smile into his chest.

And there in the dim light on a deserted strip of a beach road they silently promised to reveal the plots they had spun tonight. One day in the future when their raw emotions were calm again and they were happy and feeling secure in each others feelings they would tell the other about battle plans and fake romances. That is, if they wouldn't have forgotten about any other Tonys by then.

 **The end**


End file.
